Personal

Certain jobs are romanticized by some, but dreaded by others. Which is part of the reason we all work in different fields and have different positions. We fill in where we feel comfortable, where we can contribute the most. Those contributions can be to the greater good of society, or as simple as supporting ourselves and families lifestyle. Sometimes we hold these positions for years simply because we settle into a routine and can’t seem to break out of it for any number of reasons. Lately, I have been feeling that I’m in a routine that I wouldn’t mind changing a little.

So many times we only study history in books, or maybe the occasional show on TV. We often fail to realize that history is all around us. The stories that our parents and grandparents hold carry with it so much more than we can glean from a book. We can see how certain events affected their lives and in turn shaped us into who we are. But not every bit of history has to be a world changing event for it to be memorable. Over my Christmas vacation I managed to snag a few moments alone with my grandmother (Bubba – the one on the right) to get a few tidbits of my own history. I was amazed at what I could learn in short amount of time.

So many places, so little time. That’s what it feels like when I start planning trips. Between the time off work, and the cost of even the cheapest hotels I start to get frustrated. But that doesn’t stop me from dreaming and trying to find good places and roads to travel. After a short, 30 minute ride in the crisp 40 degree weather Sunday I decided to start jotting down some ideas that have been rolling around in my head for a while.

It’s cold outside. A rainy, yucky, slushy mess. I feel like it’s mid-December and I’m living in Pennsylvania again. Mid-December is not supposed to be like this in Charlotte. Not in the South. Not in MY south at least. Between the lack of sunlight and being held hostage by the cold many people say that they get depressed, or even S.A.D. during these long frigid winter months. I’ll admit that I become a little stir crazy at times myself, but I’ve found a way to get me through it. Planning

On one of my very first posts I raved about the artwork by Stephen S from thePensBlog. In the week or so since I posted that my feelings haven’t changed. I still find his work amazing. It combines a little piece of penguins history, with a classy piece of art at an extremely reasonable price. That all got even better today.

So I have a simple idea for what could possibly be an interesting website. Obviously not this one. The idea behind the site involves talking to a lot of people and working to get the most out of them. Whether it be their background, their opinions, or just a good story or quote. Before I jump into this though I decided to make a mental list of questions to prompt interesting answers as well as a few guidelines for myself to follow. Basically how do I turn myself – a cube sitting, oddball, nerd – into the male version of Barbara Walters.

Deep down inside I know that I didn’t make a difference, but I’d like to think I did. After all, who doesn’t want to think that with one silly little blog post critiquing the Charlotte Observer you can change the way something works. That being said please don’t burst my bubble. Let me think that just MAYBE I had something to do with this.

I’ll admit it. I have a fascination with lives and cultures unlike my own. Lives without cubicles and bright fluorescent lights. A life with perceived, cliched, freedom. One of my favorite subcultures to read about is 1% life of the motorcycle gangs. While researching another idea for a post I got side tracked and found some interesting things. Did you know that the 10 most notorious motorcycle clubs in the US all have some kind of online presence? Some of them do it surprisingly well, while others struggle mightily. Here’s my take on what they do right and wrong.

Every project in life makes us weigh pros and cons. Do we take the easy path at the risk of shoddy workmanship to only have to redo something later? Do we skimp out on some of the elements involved in order to save a few dollars? Should we get the job done the quickest way possible and forget about some of the risks and holes we may be leaving ourselves vulnerable to? Almost every project we do in life contains these types of questions. Whether it be building something around the house or getting new tires on the car. But what I’m focusing on is risk in software development.

Sometimes there is a very fine line in ethics. I’m not talking about the hackneyed “is it right to steal food for your starving child,” scenario, I’m talking more about ethics in technology. I know that many people will disagree with the statement I’m about to make. “Sometime it is acceptable to be unethical.” Read on to figure out why.